Question of the Day #897

Keeping Up With The Joneses: Is Your AI Fast Enough?

From the headline of this article at Forbes.

  上記の文で、keeping up with the Jonesesの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "keeping up with the Joneses" mean?

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

 

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

最新の流行を追う、隣人と張り合う、世間に後れを取らない

   

Answer

According to Academic.com:

"Keeping up with the Joneses" is a popular catchphrase in many parts of the English-speaking world. It refers to the desire to be seen as being as good as one's neighbours or contemporaries using the comparative benchmarks of social caste or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to "keep up with the Joneses" is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.

 

語源

英辞郎によると、

米国の漫画家Arthur R. Momand（アーサー・R・モーマンド）が1913年から28年間新聞に連載した漫画のタイトル「Keeping Up with the Joneses」から。モーマンド氏は、妻Jenniferと共にロングアイランドに引っ越して隣人と見えを張り合った経験を漫画にした。漫画に登場する隣人の名前にはアメリカで一般的なJonesを使い、タイトルを「ジョーンズ家のやつらに負けるな」とした。

 

Etymology

According to Academic.com,

The origin of this phrase is rooted in the popular comic strip of the same name created by cartoonist Arthur R. "Pop" Momand. [According to "The Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson] The strip debuted in 1916 in the "New York World", but strips appear in collections dated as early as April 1, 1913. The strip ran in American newspapers for 28 years, and was eventually adapted into books, films, and musical comedies. The "Joneses" of the title were neighbors of the strip's main characters, and were spoken of but never actually seen in person.

   

Examples

• Many people were holding down three jobs just to keep up with the Joneses.
• Her mother was very keen on keeping up with the Joneses, and through much of her teens Linda accepted what she now calls `these false values'.
• A: "Why did she buy such an expensive car?" B: "Well, she lives in a wealthy part of town—I bet she just wants to keep up with the Joneses."
• Of course, in this desperate attempt to keep up with the Joneses, they are all the more likely to end up poor.
• First the Smiths got a swimming pool, and now their neighbours, the Sinclairs, are building one. It’s silly the way people always have to keep up with the Joneses.

   

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